Middle ear transducer
US6005955A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 7, 1996 |
| Grant date | Dec 21, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 7, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61F2002/183
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An electromechanical transducer for an implantable hearing aid, such as a partial middle ear implantable (P-MEI) or total middle ear implantable (T-MEI) hearing aid system. The invention comprises at least one piezoelectric element proportioned for mechanically coupling to a middle ear only through an auditory element in the middle ear, such as the tympanic membrane, malleus, incus, stapes, or in the inner ear, such as the oval window, round window, vestibule, or semicircular canals. The invention need not be secured to a temporal bone. Inertial masses and a carrier are optionally provided to assist in sensing or producing mechanical vibrations. The carrier is optionally hermetically sealed. Superpositioned individual frequency responses optimize an overall frequency bandwidth.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.